"Severus Snape!" Dracula sneered with a wicked smile.
"Dear Jericho, I've peered into his mind—his heart still aches because of you."
"Professor Snape… because of Blanche?" Lilith's face twisted with confusion.
"Can't he just forget it already?" she muttered. Some wounds echo endlessly.
Jericho, though, remained calm, a sudden flash of insight brightening his eyes.
"Since the first time I met Professor Snape, I had a feeling he didn't quite like me."
"Speaking of which," Moriarty said thoughtfully, turning to Jericho,
"Professor Snape hardly ever deducts points from Slytherin House, not since he became Head. Except for that first Potions class—he took three points from you."
"Yeah," Jericho gave a wry smile.
"I didn't dare to ask why. Luckily, the guy next to me let me copy his potion."
"You should be glad you didn't ask," Dracula said darkly, voice dipping into something sinister.
"You and Snape's nemesis James Potter are too alike. Arrogant—don't deny it, Jericho. I haven't entered your soul, but I've seen enough. You are not a good boy.
Without Moriarty, you might've been the strongest in Slytherin. You—"
Lilith interjected, her voice sharp:
"Just him? Without Moriarty, I would've been the strongest in Slytherin!"
"Heh, if my husband weren't at Hogwarts, I wouldn't be in England at all."
Jericho's smirk was sly, and his meaning ambiguous—whether for Lilith or Dracula, no one could tell.
"Enough!" Dracula snapped.
"Listen carefully!
Snape sees James Potter when he looks at you. You have the same cockiness, the same flashiness, the same need to be seen, and the same physical talent."
"James Potter? Who's that?" Jericho blinked.
A true American, he had no knowledge of the famous rivalry between Snape and James Potter.
"Wait… I think there's an Auror named Potter in the U.S. Ministry of Magic…"
Jericho frowned, confused, clearly displeased.
"No matter what Potter you're thinking of, it doesn't matter," Dracula growled, drawing his wand. Sparks sizzled from the tip.
"Dracula, let's begin the second game."
"Not so fast," Dracula said, grinning wickedly.
"The second game is about Snape. A special two-player match I designed just for you.
First, you need to understand why Snape hated James Potter.
During their school days, James and his Gryffindor friends constantly bullied Snape. Worst of all, James stole Snape's one and only love—Miss Lily Evans."
Jericho's jaw dropped. He turned to Moriarty, wide-eyed.
Moriarty gave a quiet nod. The old wound in Snape's heart had been laid bare.
Lilith sighed.
"James Potter and Lily Potter were killed by the Dark Lord. Their son is Harry Potter. I'm sure you've heard of him."
"The 'Savior'?" Jericho said, unimpressed.
Lilith raised an eyebrow, her tone sharpening.
"You think a baby could kill the Dark Lord?"
"Dumbledore's people spread that tale," she went on.
"The darkness Voldemort brought to our world hadn't lifted. People needed hope. 'Savior Harry' became that hope. The Ministry gladly played along."
Moriarty nodded.
"A perfect distraction in chaotic times."
As their discussion veered, Dracula lost patience.
"Jericho, focus!
Snape doesn't just hate you—he hates what you represent.
He sees James in you.
I twisted his mind at the start of the game—now, in his eyes, you're not Jericho Blanche, but James Potter himself!"
"Can you imagine what he'll do to you?"
Dracula paused dramatically before continuing.
"But don't worry. I won't let him kill you.
I'm giving you a broom—you can fly, cast spells from the air, but you can't touch the ground.
Victory condition: take the Snitch from Snape's hand!"
Dracula snapped his fingers.
Snape began walking toward them, wand in one hand, a Golden Snitch clutched in the other.
Jericho stepped forward, adjusting his robe with dramatic flair.
He smiled at his companions, took a deep breath, and raised his chin.
"Flying spell!"
A Nimbus 1700 soared into his grasp from the Slytherin dorms.
"Time to take flight, Professor Snape!"
Jericho mounted his broom like a cowboy, twirling his wand.
"Quidditch brings us together, Professor.
Don't let hatred keep you from the pitch!
I'll even take you to see a game one day. Sports are life!"
Snape's reply came not in words, but in a blast of emerald light.
"Cruciatus!"
The magic beam shrieked through the air. Its sheer force made Jericho tremble.
He dove, pressing his broomstick hard. The curse barely missed him, scorching the air.
"I'm not going easy, Professor!"
Hiding wasn't Jericho's style.
He dropped low in a Lansky Feint.
Snape's spells chased him, slamming into the stone floor in bursts of sparks and flame.
"Serpensortia!"
Snape conjured a black snake as thick as a bowl.
It launched through the air, its tail lashing at Jericho with violent force!
"Professor, that's ruthless!" Jericho gasped.
He braced his legs on the broom handle and flipped upside down to dodge.
Snape's eyes widened.
"Impossible… how do you know that technique?"
Jericho narrowed his eyes. He knew:
Snape thought he was James Potter.
Time to change that.
"Professor! I'm Jericho Blanche, not James Potter!" he shouted.
"Look closer—can't you tell the difference?"
"James was Gryffindor. I am Slytherin! You are Slytherin too!"
"We are Housemates! Heirs of Salazar Slytherin!"
He soared lower.
The words hit home. Snape clutched his head, staggering.
His face twisted in pain, torn between memories and reality.
Dracula hissed and pushed more virus magic into Snape's mind.
The professor snapped upright and fired another Cruciatus!
The spell was too close. Jericho couldn't steer away in time.
Am I going to die?
I haven't fulfilled my dream…
I haven't won the Slytherin seven-year championship with Moriarty…
I haven't played for the U.S. Quidditch team yet…
I haven't touched the magical sky with my mentor…
No!
His heart surged.
A heat burst from deep within him.
"Dimoaka!" Jericho roared, clamping the broom with his legs and launching into the air like a missile.
He wasn't riding the broom anymore—
he was flying with it!
Moriarty's eyes glinted.
A grin tugged at his lips.
Jericho had just mastered a simplified flying spell—no chanting, just flight by will.
"Professor Snape! I will show you what Quidditch truly means!"
With renewed confidence, Jericho soared low and fast.
He circled Snape again and again, finally shouting,
"Expelliarmus!"
Snape's wand flew from his hand.
Unsteady, Snape staggered.
Jericho bolted forward like a comet.
"Gotcha!"
He grabbed the Snitch from Snape's hand, holding it high.
"I win, Dracula! Level two, complete!"
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